NCCU’s Copeland earns A for his ‘D’

Maryland's Evan Smotrycz, right, defends as North Carolina Central's Jay Copeland shoots in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 in College Park, Md.(AP Photo/Gail Burton)

N.C. Central redshirt junior Jay Copeland is the defensive player of the week in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after averaging 8.7 rebounds, blocking two shots and coming up with two steals during the Eagles’ last three games. He averaged 12.3 points during those contests.

DURHAM — Duke senior Tricia Liston is the player of the week in the Atlantic Coast Conference after averaging 21.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech.

And Duke senior Chelsea Gray and junior Elizabeth Williams are two of 21 players on the John R. Wooden Award Women’s Midseason Top 20.

The Wooden Award All America Team, comprised of the nation’s top five players, will be announced the week of the Final Four in April.

Gray, a two-time All-American, was averaging 10.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals through 17 games before her season ended when she fractured a kneecap against Boston College on Jan. 12. She was 35 assists away from becoming Duke’s all-time leader in that category.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Future Duke Blue Devils Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow headline a 10-member roster for the 2014 USA Junior National Select Team that will take on a World Select Team in the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit on April 12 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., USA Basketball announced Monday.

The Nike Hoop Summit matches America’s top high school seniors against elite, international players who are 19 or younger.

UNC won a pair of tiebreakers in doubles to go up 1-0 before winning three of the first four singles matches.

The teams split the final two singles matches.

“Oystein Steiro and Nelson Vick set the tone by getting a key win in doubles play, and then our freshmen Ronnie Schneider and Jack Murray clinched it at No. 3,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “We carried that momentum over into singles and ended up with a very good result.”